TWC Week 1/Lesson 1

Brief Overview/Summary:

Stepping into class today was simply extraordinary. I was quite apprehensive about my first class in SMU as I was unsure of what to expect from my Prof and peers. I guess this was how one would feel after three years of not being a student. 

In the first half of the lesson, we introduced ourselves on the basis of three criteria: Our background, our views on technology and world change and, an interesting thing about ourselves. This served as a platform for us to speak up and get more acquainted with our peers. The Prof proceeded to explain the course outline and eventually the very first topic: Technology and the Rise of Civilization.

Interesting Observation and Ideas:

1. During our self introduction, the Prof mentioned something quite interesting. 'What does the word technology mean?', he probed us. Honestly i did not have a clue what it meant. He went on to explain that 'ology' is the study of things and that 'techno' means to do. In other words, technology means to know how to do.

2. China was the richest country in the world. They decided that they knew too much and closed their doors for good, or so they thought. It made little sense to me why they would want to do that, to isolate themselves from the rest of the world when there was still so much to gain. Perhaps they thought they were self sufficient and well ahead as compared to the rest?

3. It came as a surprise to me when one of the readings mentioned that the Middle East was very sophisticated and advanced in the past as compared to the Western nations. In fact, the Middle East contributed to the renaissance in Europe. This made me question why and how did the sophisticated Middle East from the past turn into the Middle East of today. The answer is religion. Religion, which first served as a stimulus to development, became an inhibitor to the Middle East. It was fascinating how something so pure and righteous could cause the downfall of an entire region.

Key Takeaway Points:

Initially, I thought that this class was going to be mainly on details and knowledge of technology and world change. We were going to focus on certain technologies that had significantly shaped the world. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I was wrong.

During our self-introduction and course outline, the Prof constantly dwelt on the fact that this class was not about technology but about the implications of technology. How it has brought about changes? Why are things happening due to it? Evidently, it was important for us to focus on the concept presented and not the details put forth.

Another takeaway was a one liner: The future lies in our hands. This realisation surfaced when the Prof showed us the human evolution model with an obese man at the end. It probed us to wonder about the future of mankind; how it is going to be like a century from now. The very choices we make and what we do in life will leave a footprint behind that is going to shape the future.

Issue for Further Discussion:

1. It was suicidal when China closed its door to the external economy. The question was, how did they manage to get through the years of isolation and return as one of the leading economies today? Evidently, I think that it would be intriguing to find out about the process and ideas involved.

2. Why had the implication of religion, change so drastically in the Middle East? What could we learn from it? It would be great if there were more open discussions to explore the rise and fall of Middle East and the contributing factor/s of it.

Personal Rating:

Overall the session was quite an eye opener for me. It was an above average lesson. I'll give it a 7/10.